The road to 100

I’m not talking 100 orders. 100 stockists. Literally 100 followers on Instagram.

The world of social media, even to someone in their 20s, is wildly baffling once you decide that it is necessary to turn it into a science. I spend more time than I’d care to admit reading articles on perfecting SEO, patterns of posting, and how to beat the algorithm. I’m a month in to taking this whole business thing seriously, and evidence would suggest there is no magical formula.

Let’s begin with Instagrams scary big brother, TikTok. I have watched hours of videos about how people think the algorithm works, the ‘bottom up’ method for engagement, and all about so called ‘200 view jail’. My main method for gaining traction has simply been consistent posting. My goal is not to go viral, but to build a nice consistent follower base as another platform to share all about my sewing adventures! On average, I found my first lot of videos, whether they be trends, transitions or just videos of my sewing, seemed to gain traction for the first 12 hours, and after that remained at around 750 views. Like to view ration is also apparently non-existence.

However, I am writing this as I have just posted my first video showcasing one of my collages, and coincidently the first video showing my face, and the difference in engagement compared to my other videos is outstanding. The likes and comments within the first hour are higher than my other videos have achieved after being up for a few weeks. Does TikTok and it users really push people showing their faces by their art so much more than simple transitions or ‘stitch with me’s? It certainly seems that way to me.

Instagram, I have found, is a much tougher nut to crack. The algorithms are much less forgiving due to the lack of a ‘for you’ page, and I am yet to break through with the reels I have been posting, all of which have never succeeded 170 views. I have found the only way to gain followers is though what they suggest on TikTok – engaging with others. The road to 100 followers has been unbe,ievably slow, and I am still to find a way to gain traction.

A strong part of me suspects that once I start to post more of my actual art rather than behind the scenes or progress shots, it will help for people to see what I’m really all about. The thought of posting my finished pieces is incredibly overwhelming, but I’m also so excited to share them with the sewing community!

One of my favourite parts of my Instagram journey has been being part of the March Meet The Maker Challenge, by Joanne Hawker. This involves posting in line with a series of prompts that are given three times a week – prompts include showing your workspace, favourite pieces and talking about the aims of your art. I have loved watching the community share their passion projects, and exploring my own intentions for Tremor Textiles through my posts. It has also been great motivation for a consistent posting routine, and I have found that being part of a wider community has really helped to inspire me in times when my creativity had completely dried up.

So, the social media experiments continue, week by week, but with consistent posting comes consistent growth. I am so excited to see what the future holds, and watch the community grow.